Australia news LIVE: PM reveals Iran behind Melbourne Adass Israel synagogue attack; Australia Post temporarily suspends US deliveries

The government has yet to reach a deal with concerned parties in its planned overhaul of the nation’s broken environmental protection laws, but is “certainly a lot closer” than ever before, Environment Minister Murray Watt said.

“We simply will not achieve our national priorities like building more homes, delivering more renewable energy and, of course, protecting the environment, unless if we see significant reform,” Watt told ABC TV.

Labor is fast-tracking its revamps of the laws, bringing planned reforms forward by a year, after repeated calls during last week’s economic reform roundtable for a shake-up.

Reforms to the system fast-track projects through a simplified environmental approval process that affects major infrastructure developments including housing, critical mineral sites and renewable energy projects.

“We’ll be introducing it to the parliament this side of Christmas, and we certainly will be seeking the support from both the Coalition and the Greens to deliver these reforms. There was a very clear consensus at last week’s economic round table that we need to get moving on these reforms,” Watt said.

“We want to build more homes. We want to build more renewable energy. We want to not just protect but restore our natural environment, and the only way we can do that is by getting moving with these reforms.”

Minister for the Environment and Water Murray Watt says Israel’s double-bombing of the Nasser hospital in Gaza that killed at least 20 people is a “clear breach of international law”.

“It’s yet another outrage in a war that has gone on for too long and has cost too many innocent lives. It is very clear that targeting or hitting hospitals, health workers and civilians is a breach of international law. So we join with the rest of the international community in condemning this action,” Watt told ABC TV this morning.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the bombing as a “tragic mishap”.

“This is not the first time that we’ve seen Mr Netanyahu apologise or accept what he calls innocent mistakes or mishaps. But the problem is that every time something like this happen, it costs people’s lives,” Watt said.

“It is not acceptable, and what we’ll do is continue to work with the rest of the international community to demand a ceasefire, to demand hostages be released, and to demand peace in the Middle East. And that requires some change from Mr Netanyahu.”

Workplace Relations Minister Amanda Rishworth has said Labor wants “real reform” to environmental protection laws that can remove unnecessary regulation without compromising the natural environment.

It comes as Anthony Albanese tasks Environment Minister Murray Watt with fast-tracking an urgent overhaul of environment protections, which are now expected to be introduced into parliament this year, six months earlier than originally planned.

“We need to get more houses built. And of course, there are many houses, plans to build houses, and they’re just caught up in just red tape,” Rishworth told Nine’s Today.

“We want to see real reform when it comes to the environmental protection laws. We want good environmental protection, but we don’t want projects being just absolutely tied up in red tape.”

Rishworth was joined on the segment by Greens leader Larissa Waters, who said she was “pretty keen” for environmental law reform and that the “offer’s there” for her party to assist Labor with the advancing of legislation.

Workplace Relations Minister Amanda Rishworth has batted away suggestions that the AUKUS security agreement is in grave trouble amid the Pentagon’s review of the deal, saying that Australia will continue “working very closely” on the pact that has won bipartisan support in the US Congress.

The Pentagon’s AUKUS review, launched in June following Donald Trump’s return to the White House, is due in the next three months, with Defence Minister Richard Marles set to seek assurances about the future of the pact when he meets US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth in Washington this week.

“Our three countries, the US, UK and Australia, have been committed to this arrangement. It is really critical for decades to come,” Rishworth told Nine’s Today.

“Richard has been to the US on numerous occasions … he’s working very hard with his US counterpart as well as his UK counterpart. But this is a really important arrangement that we have in place in Australia, and we’re going to keep working on it and get it done.”

Australians worn down by poor service, bill shock and data breaches from their phone and internet providers could soon see greater protections as the Albanese government moves to dramatically strengthen penalties against misbehaving telcos.

Legislation that was ticked off by Labor’s caucus on Monday will empower the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) to hit operators with fines of up to $10 million for misconduct – 40 times higher than current maximums. In serious cases, penalties could be even greater, tied to a company’s turnover or the benefit it gained from wrongdoing.

The Telecommunications Amendment (Enhancing Consumer Safeguards) Bill 2025 would also establish a new national registration scheme, giving the watchdog the power to deregister rogue providers or block new players from entering the market.

Read more from technology editor David Swan here.

Warning: Graphic content

Israel hit southern Gaza’s main hospital with a double missile strike on Monday, killing at least 20 people, including four journalists, medical officials said.

The first strike hit a top floor of one of the buildings at Nasser Hospital. Minutes later, as journalists and rescue workers in orange vests rushed up an external staircase to the scene, a second missile hit in the same spot, the head of Nasser’s paediatrics department, Dr Ahmed al-Farra, said.

Mariam Dagga, 33, a visual journalist who had freelanced for Associated Press and other news outlets since the start of the war, was killed, along with a contractor for Reuters, cameraman Hussam al-Masri. She frequently based herself at the hospital and had taking a series of searing images documenting the staff’s struggle to save children from starvation.

Read more here.

Hello and welcome to the national news blog. My name is Daniel Lo Surdo, and I’ll be helming our live coverage this morning.

Here’s what is making news today:

• At least 20 people including four journalists and several doctors have been killed after Israel hit southern Gaza’s main hospital in a double missile strike. The strikes hit the top floor of one building of the hospital in quick succession.
• The Albanese government is moving to dramatically strengthen penalties against misbehaving telcos, after legislation that would see operators hit with fines of up to $10 million for misconduct were ticked off by the Labor caucus on Monday. The fine would be 40 times greater than current maximum penalties, and could rise to reflect the company’s turnover or benefit gained from wrongdoing.
• An urgent overhaul of Australia’s broken environment laws will be fast-tracked in parliament this year as Labor scrambles to greenlight projects to meet home building and emissions reduction targets. The legislation is now set to be delivered six months earlier than planned, with Environment Minister Murray Watt tasked with overseeing the reform.